Schuylkill County's high school football teams will put a week worth of two-a-days to test today when all 19 area teams participate in their first preseason scrimmages.
Teams will hold their second scrimmages Aug. 22-23 before the 2013 regular season begins Friday, Aug. 30.
Here's news and notes from around the camps as we head into today's scrimmages:
Pottsville
Today will be a key point in the intense battle for the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback job, as senior Tyler Moser and junior Patrick Keating have both had strong camps.
Moser missed all of last season after suffering a broken wrist during the first week of preseason practice. Keating stepped in and started all 10 games, completing 48-of-101 passes for 559 yards, with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
New head coach Tom McGeoy said the battle will come down to the wire.
"Both of them have been battling all summer long," the rookie coach said. "Both of them have their pluses in different areas.
"If this was the NFL Network, this would be a big deal if this was an NFL team. This is a battle between these two kids. It's going to be a battle until we decide who the guy is."
- One rumor circulating throughout Schuylkill County this summer was that talented Pottsville junior Travis Blankenhorn was not coming out for football.
Blankenhorn, who has already received several Division I scholarship offers for baseball, is out for football and figures heavily in the Crimson Tide's plans for 2013.
McGeoy and new offensive coordinator Jake Wartella have installed a multiple, I-formation based offense that figures to utilize the Tide's abundance of talent at the receiver position. Blankenhorn figures to be moved around in the new offense.
"Right now, he's listed at receiver, but don't be surprised if you see him somewhere else as the season goes along," McGeoy said.
Schuylkill Haven
One of the most intriguing matchups of Week 1 of the 2013 high school football season has preseason Anthracite Football League favorite Schuylkill Haven traveling to play defending PIAA Class AA champion Wyomissing.
The game is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at Wyomissing.
For now.
A sinkhole developed recently at Wyomissing's complex, causing some concern over the field's playing condition.
According to Hurricanes' head coach Mike Farr, the game may be moved to Governor Mifflin and be played Saturday night, or moved to Schuylkill Haven and be played Friday night, with Wyomissing getting the gate.
Farr said a decision would be made by this weekend on the status of the game.
North Schuylkill
North Schuylkill has traditionally lined up defensively in a five-man front.
With Wally Hall taking the reins this season and John Darrah assuming the defensive coordinator role, the Spartans will play a 4-4 in 2013.
"This year, with the scheme that we're doing, the 4-4 scheme, it allows us to put more athletes on the field," Hall said during camp Wednesday. "And, we're limiting putting an offensive lineman on the front. So we have more skill, and there are more kids that could run."
Naturally with just three official practice days under their belts, Hall is eager to see the Spartans against a live opponent at Annville-Cleona on Saturday.
"We won't know our concerns probably until Saturday," Hall said. "We'll probably see some of the areas. We do have great strength."
Marian
Stan Dakosty has prepared Marian football players through offseasons and preseasons for the past 37 years.
He's enjoying this camp as much as any previous camp.
"I've enjoyed this first week of practice. I've enjoyed the offseason, and that's a tribute to these kids," Dakosty said. "They've got a great attitude and a great work ethic. I hope it shows up in the results."
For those results to show up, the Colts will need some youngsters with limited game experience to step up and produce.
Along with staying healthy and protecting the rock, Dakosty pointed to the emergence of those youngsters as keys to Marian's success in 2013.
"The other key would be the young kids and how they mature and contribute," Dakosty said. "We think we've got some kids that before they're done at this school are going to be real good football players.
"We need that like Labor Day weekend. A year from now or two years from now, that's good, but we need it now - Labor Day weekend."